Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Growing Pains
Following independence, Bunau-Varilla was appointed Panamanian ambassador to the
US, though his first act of office paved the way for future American interventions in the
region. Hoping to profit from the sale of the canal concessions to the US, Bunau-Varilla
arrived in Washington, DC, before Panama could assemble a delegation. On November
18, Bunau-Varilla and US Secretary of State John Hay signed the Hay-Bunau-Varilla
Treaty, which gave the US far more than had been offered in the original treaty. In addi-
tion to owning concessions to the canal, the US was also granted 'sovereign rights in per-
petuity over the Canal Zone,' an area extending 8km on either side of the canal, and a
broad right of intervention in Panamanian affairs.
The Panama Railroad (
www.panamarailroad.org
)
website contains photographs, histor-
ical information and fascinating travelogues, including one written by Mark Twain in
1868.
Despite opposition from the tardy Panamanian delegation as well as lingering ques-
tions about its legality, the treaty was ratified, ushering in an era of friction between the
US and Panama. Construction began again on the canal in 1904, and despite disease,
landslides and harsh weather, the world's greatest engineering marvel was completed in
only a decade. The first ship sailed through the canal on August 15, 1914.
In the years following the completion of the canal, the US military repeatedly inter-
vened in the country's political affairs. In response to growing Panamanian disenchant-
ment with frequent US interventions, the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty was replaced in 1936
by the Hull-Alfaro Treaty. The US relinquished its rights to use its troops outside the
Canal Zone and to seize land for canal purposes, and the annual sum paid to Panama for
use of the Canal Zone was raised. However, increased sovereignty was not enough to
stem the growing wave of Panamanian opposition to US occupation. Anti-US sentiments
reached a boiling point in 1964 during a student protest that left 27 Panamanians dead
and 500 injured. Today, the event is commemorated as Día de Los Mártires (National
Martyrs' Day).
As US influence waned, the Panamanian army grew more powerful. In 1968, the
Guardia Nacional deposed the elected president and took control of the government.
Soon after, the constitution was suspended, the national assembly was dissolved and the
press was censored, while the Guardia's General Omar Torrijos emerged as the new lead-
er. Torrijos' record is spotty. Though he plunged the country into debt as a result of a
massive public works program, Torrijos was successful in pressuring US President
Jimmy Carter into ceding control of the canal to Panama. The Torrijos-Carter Treaty
